Methods of sealing plastic bags and plastic bags made by the methods

ABSTRACT

Methods of sealing a woven laminated plastic bag are provided that result in no adhesive-to-adhesive contact. In various aspects the bag can be fabricated from woven polypropylene and/or polyethylene layer which can be laminated with a film layer, can form a pinch bottom bag, and can have one or both sides include graphics and/or printing. The bag can also provide a top end and/or a bottom end either or both of which provide a discrete area which may contain discrete graphics and/or printing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/728,334, filed on Nov. 20, 2012, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to improved methods for sealing plasticbags, and in particular plastic bags with pinch ends.

2. Background of the Invention

Conventional plastic bags of a wide variety of size and shape are usedin various situations. Bulk materials, such as flour, sugar, rice, seed,animal feed, chemicals, powdered materials or the like, for example,typically have been packaged in woven plastic bags in the past. Petfood, bird seed and other products sold in retail stores typically havenot been packaged in conventional woven plastic bags. Among otherreasons for this, woven plastic bags were considered too rudimentary tobe printed with high end graphics suitable for consumer type ofpackaging. In addition, the high speed requirements in the filling andpackaging operations limited the use of the woven bags in theseapplications.

Laminated woven sacks (LWS) were developed using a woven polypropylenestructure laminated to a bi-oriented polypropylene film (BOPP) that canbe reverse printed with high end graphics suitable for consumer type ofpackaging. The LWS provides a stronger, more attractive bag than themore conventional multiwall bags used for that purpose over the last 20years. Due to their tough strong structure, conventional LWS bags aretypically sewn shut on both ends. These LWS recently met with successand have been successfully substituted for the conventional multiwallpaper bags used in the pet food industry for many years.

One major drawback of the sewn LWS has been the closing of the bags athigh speed filling lines, such as those for filling such bags with petfood. Experience has shown that sewing production lines are typicallyslower than the filling of the multiwall pinch bottom bags.Additionally, the sewn bags do not provide an aesthetically pleasing anduseful clean display on the ends of the bags, thus making it difficultfor consumers to identify or find a desired brand quickly when the bagsare displayed on the shelves at the point of sale, such as when they arestacked on top of one another. In addition, the sewn ends requiredpuncturing the plastic bags and thus result in a bag that is not sealed,leading to somewhat reduced shelf-life and possible infestation of thecontents of the bag. Other methods for sealing woven and non-wovenplastic bags include sealing with a single or double fold at each endwith tape over the single or double fold, or a zipper at one end and asingle or double fold at the other end. However, these methods also slowdown production and/or add cost to the manufacture of the plastic bag.Thus, there is a need for pinch laminated woven sacks that overcomethese drawbacks in the filling and closing operations while allowing anattractive graphic display of the end of the bag at the retail outletand also providing a strong, durable bag that remains sealed.

Woven plastic bags have been used and are conventional for certainapplications. An example of a conventional woven plastic bag is providedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,979 (“the '979 patent”), issued on Feb. 15, 1983.The '979 patent describes the use of woven strips of highlylongitudinally-oriented, high-density polyethylene or polypropylene in abag construction in which the bag is formed from a seamed tube made ofthe woven plastic material. The seamed tube has gussets on either sideand, when a portion is cut from the rest of the tube, a bag having twoopen, unsealed ends is provided. The '979 patent describes the use ofultrasonic spot welds to seal portions of a bag made of such wovenplastic strips, as opposed to sewing the seams of a bag or using a hotmelt adhesive to seal the gusset forming pleat. The '979 patent ishereby incorporated by reference herein. The '979 patent purports to bean improvement for sealing a plastic bag. As noted in the '979 patent,sewing one end tends to take longer, thus adding time to themanufacturing process. In addition, the sewn ends in a conventional bagtend to be a weak portion of the bag, and a likely location for rips,tearing, and subsequent loss of contents during storing, shipping andhandling. In addition, such bags may not provide sufficient protectionfrom infestation from vermin and/or insects.

Another example of plastic bags is disclosed in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication Number U.S. 2010/0029455 A1 (“the '455 publication”),published on Feb. 4, 2010, which describes production of web sectionsfrom a flexible web material that is provided with tear-off linesproduced by laser beam processing at the distance of the length of theweb sections to be formed. The tear-off lines weaken the flexible webmaterial, but do not result in complete separation of the web sectionsfrom the web material, which occurs upon tearing the flexible webmaterial. The '455 publication is incorporated by reference herein.

More recently, some types of plastic bags have provided improvements insealing the ends of the bags. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,051 B2(“the '051 patent”), issued on Oct. 5, 2004, a process for sealing sidefold sacks made of plastic film is described. According to the '051patent, a web of plastic tubular film is cut to provide a staggereddetachment along a perforation so that one wall (e.g., the front wall)projects beyond the opposing wall (e.g., the back wall). The projectingportion of the first wall is then folded over and sealed to the opposingwall by means of a plastic adhesive such as a polyurethane adhesive orhot melt. The '051 patent is hereby incorporated by reference herein.However, such bags involve plastic films, not woven plastic materials,and therefore are unable to handle the weight loads of conventional bulkbags made of paper and other materials. Such bags are useful for onlycertain lightweight contents, such as bread.

There are a variety of conventional ways of providing for reusableopenings in bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,465 B1 (“the '465patent”), issued Nov. 12, 2002, describes a peelable opening in amultiwall, pinched bottom open mouth bag construction. The '465 patentalso describes the use of an adhesive layer that can be used so that thebag opening is reclosable. The '465 patent is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

Therefore, what is needed are improved methods for sealing woven andnon-woven plastic bags that do not add much to the cost or time tomanufacture, and are not susceptible to inadvertent tearing, punctures,breaking, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides improved methods for sealing woven andnon-woven plastic bags, which makes the presently disclosed woven andnon-woven plastic bags faster and less expensive to produce thanconventional woven and non-woven plastic bags.

The present disclosure provides methods of sealing a plastic bag havinga front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, afirst end, a second end, a first layer and a second layer, the frontwall, back wall, first side wall and second side wall having an interiorsurface, an exterior surface, a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end of the bag has a fold line on the exterior surface of thefront wall proximal the first end of the front wall, wherein the firstlayer comprises a woven polymer and the second layer comprises a filmlaminated to the first layer, and wherein the first end of the back wallprojects further than the first end of the first side wall and the firstend of the second side wall, and the first end of the first side walland the first end of the second side wall project further than the firstend of the front wall, comprising applying an adhesive to the bag thatextends from the interior surface of the first end of the back wall tothe fold line, and folding the plastic bag at the fold line such thatthe interior surface of the top end of the back wall contacts at least aportion of the exterior surface of the front wall, wherein noadhesive-to-adhesive contact is formed upon sealing the plastic bag. Incertain embodiments the fold line is about ¼ of an inch below the firstend of the front wall.

In some embodiments the first layer comprises polypropylene, highdensity polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polyester, or anycombination thereof. In other embodiments at least a portion of thesecond layer comprises a printed area thereon. In further embodimentsthe second layer comprises polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyamide, or any combination thereof. In yet furtherembodiments the second layer comprises oriented polypropylene,biaxially-oriented polypropylene, oriented polyethylene,biaxially-oriented polyethylene, oriented polyethylene terephthalate,biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate, oriented polyamide,biaxially-oriented polyamide, or any combination thereof. In particularembodiments the first layer and second layer are laminated together.

In certain embodiments the adhesive is an amorphous polyalphaolefin. Inadditional embodiments the top end and the bottom end of the bag aresealed, and wherein the bag comprises at least ten pounds by weight of afilling material. In other embodiments the bag further comprises a thirdlayer comprising a polymer between the first layer and the second layer.In yet other embodiments the third layer comprises a woven polymer,including, but not limited to, polypropylene, high density polyethylene,low density polyethylene, polyester, or any combination thereof. In yetother embodiments the third layer comprises a polymeric film including,but not limited to, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyamide, or any combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides plastic bags comprising a frontwall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, an interiorsurface, an exterior surface, a top end, a bottom end, a first layer anda second layer, the front wall, back wall, first side wall and secondside wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface, a top end anda bottom end, wherein the first layer comprises a woven polymer and thesecond layer comprises a polymer film laminated to the first layer, andwherein the top end of the bag is sealed by a process comprisingapplying an adhesive to the bag that extends from the interior surfaceof the first end of the back wall to the fold line, and folding theplastic bag at the fold line such that the interior surface of the topend of the back wall contacts at least a portion of the exterior surfaceof the front wall, wherein no adhesive-to-adhesive contact is formedupon sealing the plastic bag.

In certain embodiments the first layer comprises polypropylene, highdensity polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polyester, or anycombination thereof. In further embodiments at least portions of theexterior surfaces of each of the front wall and the back wall comprise aplurality of discrete areas further comprising printing thereon. Inother embodiments a portion of the front wall and a portion of the backwall combine to form a discrete portion of the bag located at or neareither the top end or the bottom end, wherein the discrete portion ofthe bag comprises printing thereon.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings are included to further demonstrate certainaspects and embodiments of the present invention. The invention may bebetter understood by reference to one or more of these drawings incombination with the detailed description of specific embodimentspresented herein.

FIG. 1 shows a pinch cut bag with the prior art adhesive applicationpattern.

FIG. 2 shows a pinch cut bag with the presently described adhesiveapplication pattern in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows a filled pinch cut bag made in accordance with the presentdisclosure and with the first end and the second end sealed.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating steps in accordance with a methodof making a pinch cut bag in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1, the front side view of the top portion of a“pinch cut” bag 1 is shown with the prior art adhesive applicationpattern. As shown in FIG. 1, the bag 1 has a first or top end 100 and abottom end that is not visible in FIG. 1. It will be apparent, however,that the orientation of the bag ends is unimportant and the “top” and“bottom” references are useful but may change depending on theorientation one views the bag. The bag 1 has a front wall 101 with topend 102, a rear wall 103 with top end 104, and two side walls 105 and106. Bag 1 is considered a “pinch cut” bag because the front wall 101and the back wall 103 are cut so that one of the ends of the front wall101 or the back wall 103 is longer than the other; they have differentlengths. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the top end 104 of the backwall 103 at the top end 100 of the bag 100 is cut longer than the topend 102 of the front wall 101. Either one or both of the ends of the bag1 can have a “pinch cut.” Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatconventional techniques can be used to provide side gussets in the bag 1for each of sides 105 and 106 during this forming process. The first end100 of bag 1 has portions 107 a and 107 b of the rear wall 103 of thebag that extend further from the body of the bag 1 than do portions 108a and 108 b of the material of bag 100 a forming the side gussets forsides 102 and 103. In addition, the portions 108 a and 108 b of the sidegussets extend further from the body of the bag 1 than the top end 102of the front wall 101 of the bag 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the prior artadhesive application pattern is represented by the double headed arrowmarked “A,” and extends from the top end 104 of the rear wall 103 to theadhesive stop line 109. To seal the top end 100 of the bag 1, the topend 100 of the bag 1 is folded at fold line 110 such that that the topend 104 of the rear wall 103 meets the adhesive stop line 109. Thisleads to an adhesive-to-adhesive seal at the top end 100 of the bag 1.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the front side view of the top portion of a“pinch cut” bag 1 is shown with the presently described adhesiveapplication pattern. As shown in FIG. 2, once again the bag 1 has afirst or top end 100 and a bottom end that is not visible in FIG. 2. Itwill be once again be apparent, however, that the orientation of the bagends is unimportant and the “top” and “bottom” references are useful butmay change depending on the orientation one views the bag. The bag 1 hasa front wall 101 with top end 102, a rear wall 103 with top end 104, andtwo side walls 105 and 106. Bag 1 is considered a “pinch cut” bagbecause the front wall 101 and the back wall 103 are cut so that one ofthe ends of the front wall 101 or the back wall 103 is longer than theother; they have different lengths. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2the top end 104 of the back wall 103 at the top end 100 of the bag 100is cut longer than the top end 102 of the front wall 101. Either one orboth of the ends of the bag 1 can have a “pinch cut.” Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that conventional techniques can be used toprovide side gussets in the bag 1 for each of sides 105 and 106 duringthis forming process. The first end 100 of bag 1 has portions 107 a and107 b of the rear wall 103 of the bag that extend further from the bodyof the bag 1 than do portions 108 a and 108 b of the material of bag 100a forming the side gussets for sides 102 and 103. In addition, theportions 108 a and 108 b of the side gussets extend further from thebody of the bag 1 than the top end 102 of the front wall 101 of the bag1. As shown in FIG. 2, the presently described adhesive applicationpattern is represented by the double headed arrow marked “B,” andextends from the top end 104 of the rear wall 103 to the adhesive stopline 109. As is readily apparent, the amount of adhesive used in thepresent adhesive application pattern is greatly reduced compared to theprior art pattern (FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, to seal the top end 100of the bag 1, the top end 100 of the bag 1 is folded at the adhesivestop line 109 such that that the top end 104 of the rear wall 103 meetsthe adhesive stop line 109. This leads to an adhesive-to-plastic seal atthe top end 100 of the bag 1, compared to the adhesive-to-adhesive sealat the top end 100 of the bag 1 shown in FIG. 1. In addition, since lessof the bag is used during sealing in the presently described sealingprocess, the bag sealed using the presently described process is able tohold a greater volume of product when compared to bags sealed using theprior art process (FIG. 1). As further shown in FIG. 2, the bag wallscan include 3 layers, including a first, inner layer 112, a second,outer layer 116 and an optional third layer 114, which can be a polymer,selected from, but not limited to a woven polymer such as polypropylene,high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polyester, or anycombination thereof, or a polymeric film selected from but not limitedto polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide,or any combination thereof.

An example of a bag made by the claimed method is shown in FIG. 3. Inthis example a first end is sealed and the bag is filled with contents.As described herein, the layered bags made by the claimed methods can bedesigned to hold ten pounds or more of dry contents such as pet food,for example. The design of the bag also allows printing in discreteareas such as the front wall, back wall (not shown), side gussets, andthe first and second ends, again as shown in FIG. 3.

Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the bagaccording to the invention may vary in size, dimensions, and shapewithout departing from the scope of the invention, and that theforegoing description of the preferred embodiments is not intended tolimit the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example,those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the bag 1may be provided with a re-usable opening (not shown) or a corner portionadapted to allow a person to easily pour the contents of the bag 1 out(not shown), or a combination of these two features. Such features areconventional with prior art bags. Similarly, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that terms such as “front” and “rear,” and “top” and“bottom,” are useful in describing a bag, but essentially depend on abag's orientation when such terms are used, and are therefore notlimiting as to a bag's orientation.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of the steps of a method inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Atstep 301, the process starts. At step 310, a pinch cut bag, such as bag1 (shown in FIG. 2 and described above), is provided. At step 320, anadhesive is applied to a portion of the bag, such as is shown in FIG. 2and described above. As noted above, the adhesive may be applied in apattern by the arrow marked “B” in FIG. 2, and may extend from the topend 104 of the rear wall 103 to an adhesive stop line 109. At step 330,the top of the bag is folded, as is described above, such that the topend 100 of the bag is folded at the adhesive stop line 109 so that thetop end 104 of the rear wall 103 meets the adhesive stop line 109. Atstep 340, the rear wall 103 is sealed to the front wall with andadhesive-to-plastic seal at the top end 100 of the bag. At step 342, thebag is filled with a filling material, and at step 344, the bottom ofthe bag is sealed. At step 350, the process concludes.

I claim:
 1. A method of sealing a plastic bag having a first end and asecond end, comprising: a. providing a plastic bag having a first endand a second end, and having a front wall, a back wall, a first sidewall, and a second side wall, each wall comprising a laminate consistingessentially of polyethylene and comprising a first layer and a secondlayer, wherein the first layer consists essentially of wovenpolyethylene strips and the second layer consists essentially of anoriented polyethylene film, wherein the first layer and second layer arelaminated together, wherein the front wall, back wall, first side walland second side wall each have an interior surface, an exterior surface,a first end and a second end, and wherein the first end of the back wallprojects further than the first end of the first side wall, the firstend of first side wall projects further than the first end of the secondside wall, and the first end of the second side wall projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall; b. applying an adhesive to (i) theinterior surface of the first end of the back wall that projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall and is not covered by the firstside wall or the second side wall, (ii) the exterior surface of thefirst end of the first side wall that projects further than the firstend of the second side wall, (iii) the interior surface of the first endof the second side wall that projects further than the first end of thefront wall, and (iv) the exterior surface of the front wall locatedbetween an adhesive stop line and the first end of the front wall,wherein the adhesive stop line defines a fold line on the exteriorsurface of the front wall proximal the first end of the front wall; andc. folding the first end of the plastic bag at the fold line such thatthe interior surface of the first end of the back wall contacts at leasta portion of the exterior surface of the front wall and forms anadhesive-to-plastic seal, wherein no adhesive-to-adhesive contact isformed upon sealing the first end of the plastic bag, and wherein theplastic bag is adapted to hold at least ten pounds of a filling materialwhen the bag is sealed at the first end and the second end.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive comprises an amorphouspolyalphaolefin.
 3. The method according to claim 1 wherein thepolyethylene strips of the first layer further comprise high densitypolyethylene.
 4. A bag made in accordance with the process of claim 1.5. A method of sealing a plastic bag having a first end and a secondend, comprising: a. providing a plastic bag having a first end and asecond end, and having a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, anda second side wall, each wall comprising a laminate consistingessentially of a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, whereinthe first layer consists essentially of woven polyethylene strips, thesecond layer consists essentially of a polyethylene film, and the thirdlayer consists essentially of a polyethylene film and is located betweenthe first layer and the second layer, wherein the first layer and secondlayer are laminated together, wherein the front wall, back wall, firstside wall and second side wall each have an interior surface, anexterior surface, a first end and a second end, and wherein the firstend of the back wall projects further than the first end of the firstside wall, the first end of first side wall projects further than thefirst end of the second side wall, and the first end of the second sidewall projects further than the first end of the front wall; b. applyingan adhesive to (i) the interior surface of the first end of the backwall that projects further than the first end of the front wall and isnot covered by the first side wall or the second side wall, (ii) theexterior surface of the first end of the first side wall that projectsfurther than the first end of the second side wall, (iii) the interiorsurface of the first end of the second side wall that projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall, and (iv) the exterior surface ofthe front wall located between an adhesive stop line and the first endof the front wall, wherein the adhesive stop line defines a fold line onthe exterior surface of the front wall proximal the first end of thefront wall; and c. folding the first end of the plastic bag at the foldline such that the interior surface of the first end of the back wallcontacts at least a portion of the exterior surface of the front walland forms an adhesive-to-plastic seal, wherein no adhesive-to-adhesivecontact is formed upon sealing the first end of the plastic bag, andwherein the plastic bag is adapted to hold at least ten pounds of afilling material when the bag is sealed at the first end and the secondend.
 6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the adhesive comprisesan amorphous polyalphaolefin.
 7. The method according to claim 5 whereinthe polyethylene strips further comprise high density polyethylene. 8.The method according to claim 7 wherein the polyethylene film of thesecond layer further consists essentially of an oriented polyethylenefilm.
 9. A bag made in accordance with the process of claim
 5. 10. Amethod of sealing a plastic bag having a first end and a second end,comprising: a. providing a plastic bag having a first end and a secondend, and having a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, and asecond side wall, each wall comprising a laminate consisting essentiallyof a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer, wherein the firstlayer consists essentially of woven strips consisting essentially oforiented polypropylene, the second layer consists essentially of anoriented polypropylene film, and the third layer consists essentially ofan oriented polypropylene film and is located between the first and thesecond layer, and the first layer and second layer are laminatedtogether, wherein the front wall, back wall, first side wall and secondside wall each have an interior surface, an exterior surface, a firstend and a second end, and wherein the first end of the back wallprojects further than the first end of the first side wall, the firstend of first side wall projects further than the first end of the secondside wall, and the first end of the second side wall projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall; b. applying an amorphouspolyalphaolefin adhesive to (i) the interior surface of the first end ofthe back wall that projects further than the first end of the front walland is not covered by the first side wall or the second side wall, (ii)the exterior surface of the first end of the first side wall thatprojects further than the first end of the second side wall, (iii) theinterior surface of the first end of the second side wall that projectsfurther than the first end of the front wall, and (iv) the exteriorsurface of the front wall located between an adhesive stop line and thefirst end of the front wall, wherein the adhesive stop line defines afold line on the exterior surface of the front wall proximal the firstend of the front wall; and c. folding the first end of the plastic bagat the fold line such that the interior surface of the first end of theback wall contacts at least a portion of the exterior surface of thefront wall and forms an adhesive-to-plastic seal, wherein noadhesive-to-adhesive contact is formed upon sealing the first end of theplastic bag, and wherein the plastic bag is capable of holding a greatervolume of a filling material and uses less adhesive than if the adhesivehad been applied to the exterior surface of the front wall from thefirst end of the front wall to an adhesive stop line which is furtherfrom the first end of the front wall than the fold line and had formedan adhesive-to-adhesive contact, and wherein the plastic bag is adaptedto hold at least ten pounds of a filling material when the bag is sealedat the first end and the second end.
 11. The method according to claim10, wherein at least a portion of the second layer comprises a printedarea thereon.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the secondlayer further consists essentially of biaxially-oriented polypropylene.13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps offilling the plastic bag with at least ten pounds by weight of a fillingmaterial and sealing the second end of the plastic bag.
 14. A bag madein accordance with the process of claim
 10. 15. A method of sealing aplastic bag, comprising: a. providing a bag having a first end and asecond end, and having a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, anda second side wall, each wall consisting essentially of a first layer, asecond layer, and a third layer, wherein the first layer consistsessentially of woven polymer strips which consist essentially oforiented polypropylene, the second layer consists essentially of anoriented polypropylene film, and the third layer is between the firstlayer and the second layer and consists essentially of an orientedpolypropylene film, and wherein the first layer and second layer arelaminated together, wherein the front wall, back wall, first side walland second side wall each have an interior surface, an exterior surface,a first end and a second end, and wherein the first end of the back wallprojects further than the first end of the first side wall, the firstend of first side wall projects further than the first end of the secondside wall, and the first end of the second side wall projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall; b. applying an adhesive to theinterior surface of the first end of the back wall that projects furtherthan the first end of the front wall and is not covered by the firstside wall or the second side wall; c. applying an adhesive to theexterior surface of the first end of the first side wall that projectsfurther than the first end of the second side wall; d. applying anadhesive to the interior surface of the first end of the second sidewall that projects further than the first end of the front wall; e.applying an adhesive to the exterior surface of the front wall locatedbetween an adhesive stop line and the first end of the front wall,wherein the adhesive stop line defines a fold line on the exteriorsurface of the front wall and the adhesive stop line is approximatelyone-fourth of an inch below the first end of the front wall; and f.folding the first end of the plastic bag at the fold line such that theinterior surface of the first end of the back wall contacts at least aportion of the exterior surface of the front wall and forms anadhesive-to-plastic seal, wherein no adhesive-to-adhesive contact isformed upon sealing the first end of the plastic bag, and wherein theplastic bag is capable of holding a greater volume of a filling materialand uses less adhesive than if the adhesive had been applied to theexterior surface of the front wall from the first end of the front wallto an adhesive stop line which is further from the first end of thefront wall than the fold line and had formed an adhesive-to-adhesivecontact, and wherein the plastic bag is adapted to hold at least tenpounds of a filling material when the bag is sealed at the first end andthe second end.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein theadhesive is an amorphous polyalphaolefin.
 17. The method according toclaim 15, further comprising the steps of filling the plastic bag withat least ten pounds by weight of a filling material and sealing thesecond end of the plastic bag.
 18. A bag made in accordance with theprocess of claim 15.